Giving clients more power to control their energy costs

WILD GEESE Vivian Doyle-Kelly, Energy consultant and founder of Eco-Watt, MontrealEco-Watt specialises in helping companies reduce their energy consumption by analysing all the equipment used in their production processes

ENERGY CONSULTANT Vivian Doyle-Kelly has found himself “in the right place at the wrong time” on a few occasions since he first arrived in Montreal. But this knack for bad timing, far from setting him back, actually seems to have worked in his favour.

As a young accountant in the early 1980s, the Canadian city seemed like a good bet, an opportunity to gain valuable North American experience in a bilingual setting. So, he jumped at the chance of a transfer from his Dublin firm to the Montreal branch of Touche Ross, a predecessor of Deloitte Touche.

Upon his arrival, he was surprised to find that large numbers of people were on their way out. With Quebec nationalism on the up, the city was losing much of its anglophone talent and money to Toronto.

“I was more ignorant than I should have been about Quebec politics,” he says ruefully.

But, despite the timing, Montreal turned out to be the right place for him. As he puts it, he found himself working in the flagship office of a blue-chip company with a team of highly-talented colleagues, who all went on to become esteemed friends.

And, his Irish nationality and ability to speak French went down well with the Quebec locals.

While at the firm, he invested much of his free time into volunteering for the Kidney Foundation of Canada, first as treasurer and later as president. “They chose me to take the reins because I didn’t shut up and kept suggesting things that should be done,” he says.

The leadership role provided lots of opportunity for travel, giving him an understanding of the country “from ocean to ocean”. “I learned that different parts of Canada vary widely, with distinct economies, societies and attitudes to life,” he says.

He also developed a respect for the Canadian sense of compromise. “At federal level, everything tends to be a negotiated solution evolving from a shared vision, a desire to work together to make things happen.”

After nearly a decade at Touche Ross, he had joined the ranks of senior management. But with the industry on the cusp of large-scale consolidation, this ascension proved to be ill-timed.

“There were no longer any opportunities,” he says. “When firms merge, it takes time to sort out where they are going and where to put resources.”

His leadership experience was put to good use in his next day job, as vice president for finance, and later as president, of MBS Bearing Service, a company providing replacement parts for production equipment in industrial facilities.

But, timing again proved to be against him, when the company was taken over, making it difficult for him to find his place in the new entity. “It’s the law of nature,” he says.

At this point, Doyle-Kelly took his destiny into his own hands, founding his own company in 2003. Eco-Watt specialises in helping companies reduce their energy consumption by analysing all equipment used in their production processes and advising on ways of cutting inefficiencies.

“The initial thinking was that it was a relatively easy way for any corporation to improve their bottom line. But, I believe we can all help to make our environment better,” he says.

At long last, he now finds himself in the right place at the right time. “When I started the company, I was ahead of the curve,” he says.

“Nowadays most companies have corporate social responsibility objectives, which include reducing their consumption of energy. But, when I started out, it was still very early days for that type of thinking.” The experience of running his own company has been “challenging and humbling”.

“You realise the rest of the word doesn’t necessarily share your vision,” he says.

Still, his powers of persuasion have been well-honed over the years. “I’ve been fortunate to find myself in positions where I’ve been able to see over the horizon and convince people of what can be done.”

Does he himself live in an eco-friendly home? “I try to practice what I preach,” he says. “When my wife and I get to build our ideal house, it will have geothermal and solar energy. It will be a model of energy efficiency.”

After all, as he says, none of this is new to him. “I grew up in Ireland where we heated the house room by room, kept the doors closed and turned off the lights when we left,” he says.

With no plans to retire, he expects to remain in Montreal for the foreseeable future. He and his Jamaican-Lebanese wife, whom he met at the Kidney Foundation of Canada, travel regularly to Kingston and Dublin.

It’s all very Canadian, he says. “We’re part of the mosaic.”